Altera, Anti-Tamper, Design-Security, Design-Isolation, etc.
Launch of the lowest power FPGA with security features

July 1, 2009 -- Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) today announced a new family of low-power FPGAs with integrated security features, extending its leadership in low-power solutions. The new Altera® Cyclone® III LS FPGAs offer the highest density of logic, memory, and DSP per board area. These devices are the lowest-power FPGAs, featuring standby power of less than 0.25 W for 200K logic elements (LEs). Cyclone III LS FPGAs are shipping now and target power- and board-space-sensitive applications across all market segments, including military and industrial.

The security features of Cyclone III LS FPGAs include a comprehensive information-assurance design suite that provides anti-tamper, design-security, and design-isolation capabilities. The anti-tamper capabilities of Cyclone III LS FPGAs include JTAG port protection, tamper monitoring, and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) to protect highly sensitive information. Providing another layer of protection, these devices provide industry-standard, proven AES 256-bit encryption keys for design security. When SWaP (size, weight, and power) is critical, the design separation capabilities of Cyclone III LS FPGAs support high-assurance and industrial-safety applications on a single chip through isolation of logic, routing, and I/O banks.

“The success of the Cyclone series has been driven by our strong focus on custom applications, which has enabled us to deliver solutions that deliver the right mix of low power, high functionality and small form factor,” said Luanne Schirrmeister, senior director of component product marketing at Altera Corporation. “The introduction of the Cyclone III LS devices extends Altera’s leadership in low power while addressing critical security needs, particularly in the military and industrial markets. We offer a complete solution to protect against IP theft and tampering.”

Cyclone III LS FPGAs provide a single-chip solution for next-generation military applications such as SDRs, cryptographic subsystems, and cryptographic modernization equipment that require long battery life, ultra-low power integration, and small board space. Additional security features in Cyclone III LS FPGAs provide designers of secure communications applications with assurance that information will be protected by anti-tamper technology.